[Nextgrid]

The methodology is not completely crap. The role of the ad network is to get paid to display an ad. They aren't incentivised to ensure the ad is actually relevant - as long as they find some sucker to pay them to display the ad, they'll happily display it. Whether the mark then "converts" is not their problem.

The problem is that the entire advertising industry is crap and has successfully contaminated and taken over the tech industry. The only way out is regulation so that 1) advertisers are liable for what they display (to discourage scam or illegal ads - and in some countries NSFW content would fall into this category as you're supposed to ask or verify the user's age) and 2) privacy regulations that make targeted advertising opt-in so that overall the cost of advertising becomes too great and starts allowing alternative monetization models (such as actually asking the user to pay for the service) to compete.